Marcellus, Archbishop Of Esztergom
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Marcellus (; died after 1124) was a Hungarian
prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Minister (Christianity), Christian clergy who is an Ordinary (church officer), ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which me ...
at the turn of the 11th and 12th centuries, who served as
Bishop of Vác A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
from around 1111 to 1113, then
Archbishop of Esztergom In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdioc ...
from around 1116 until his death.


Career

In his youth, Marcellus belonged to the court clergy and was probably a member of the royal chapel during the reign of
Ladislaus I of Hungary Ladislaus I (, , , ; 1040 – 29 July 1095), also known as Saint Ladislas, was King of Hungary from 1077 and King of Croatia from 1091. He was the second son of King Béla I of Hungary and Richeza of Poland, Queen of Hungary, Richeza (or Adela ...
. He was also a provost of
Székesfehérvár Székesfehérvár (; ; ; ; Serbian language, Serbian: ''Стони Београд''; ), known colloquially as Fehérvár (), is a city in central Hungary, and the country's ninth-largest city. It is the Regions of Hungary, regional capital of C ...
,
Óbuda Óbuda (, ) is, together with Buda and Pest, one of the three cities that were unified to form the Hungarian capital city of Budapest in 1873. Today, together with Békásmegyer, Óbuda forms a part of the city's third district, although the to ...
or
Titel Titel ( sr-Cyrl, Тител, ) is a town and municipality located in the South Bačka District of the province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The town of Titel has a population of 4,522, while the population of the municipality of Titel is 13,984 (2022 ...
. According to the ''
Illuminated Chronicle The ''Chronicon Pictum'' or ''Illuminated Chronicle'' (, , , also referred to as the ''Illustrated Chronicle'', ''Chronica Hungarorum'', ''Chronicon Hungarie Pictum'', ''Chronica Picta'' or ''Chronica de Gestis Hungarorum'') is a medieval illust ...
'', Ladislaus, who laid on his deathbed, sent
Palatine A palatine or palatinus (Latin; : ''palatini''; cf. derivative spellings below) is a high-level official attached to imperial or royal courts in Europe since Roman Empire, Roman times.
Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...
and Marcellus to
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
to negotiate the duke's deputy
Sieciech Sieciech (mid 11th century AD – early 12th century AD) was a medieval Polish magnate and statesman. Biography All information about Sieciech has come down from the chronicler Gallus Anonymus. He was a count palatine at the court of duke W ...
in the summer of 1095. The Hungarian delegation invited the king's exiled nephew
Coloman Coloman, ( (also Slovak, Czech, Croatian), , ; ) The Germanic origin name Coloman used by Germans since the 9th century. * Coloman, King of Hungary * Coloman of Galicia-Lodomeria Coloman of Galicia (; ; 1208 – 1241) was the rulerfrom 1214 pr ...
back from Poland to become his heir. Another chapter of the chronicle styles Marcellus as "''sanctus''", which referred to his pious nature and exemplary saintly way of life despite his young age, as medievalist László Koszta argued. After the coronation of Coloman in 1096, he became an important confidant of the new monarch. Sometimes at the turn of the 11th and 12th centuries, he was made Bishop of Vác. It is plausible he is identical with that prelate, who was mentioned without his see in 1103. The first known holder of the title, he was mentioned in that capacity by the two establishing charters of the
Zobor Abbey Zobor Abbey was a Benedictine monastery established at Zobor (today part of Nitra, Slovakia) in the Kingdom of Hungary. The abbey was first mentioned by royal charters issued in 1111 and 1113, during the rule of Coloman, King of Hungary Colo ...
, issued in 1111 and 1113. The cathedral of Vác was built by Coloman's father
Géza I Géza () is a Hungarian given name and may refer to any of the following: As regnal or forename * Géza, Grand Prince of the Hungarians * Géza I of Hungary, King of Hungary * Géza II of Hungary, King of Hungary * Géza, son of Géza II of Hungar ...
, where he was buried too, which fact confirms the strong alliance between the king and Marcellus. In the two Zobor charters, Marcellus appeared in seventh and eighth places at the list of prelates (which reflects hierarchy among them), respectively. He participated in the first and second synods at
Esztergom Esztergom (; ; or ; , known by Names of European cities in different languages: E–H#E, alternative names) is a city with county rights in northern Hungary, northwest of the capital Budapest. It lies in Komárom-Esztergom County, on the righ ...
. Alongside six bishops and several secular barons, Marcellus escorted Coloman to
Dalmatia Dalmatia (; ; ) is a historical region located in modern-day Croatia and Montenegro, on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Through time it formed part of several historical states, most notably the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Croatia (925 ...
in 1111, who confirmed the privileges of
Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enter ...
,
Trogir Trogir () is a historic town and harbour on the Adriatic coast in Split-Dalmatia County, Croatia, with a population of 10,107 (2021) and a total municipal population of 12,393 (2021). The historic part of the city is situated on a small island ...
, and
Zadar Zadar ( , ), historically known as Zara (from Venetian and Italian, ; see also other names), is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Croatia. It is situated on the Adriatic Sea, at the northwestern part of Ravni Kotari region. Zadar ...
. The event was narrated by a royal charter from 1118, which ranks Marcellus to the second place among the prelates. Koszta considered it reflects to the situation when the charter was written, thus Marcellus already functioned as Archbishop of Esztergom in 1118 (his predecessor Lawrence died approximately two years ago). Nevertheless, Marcellus first and only appeared in that dignity in July 1124. Marcellus was present at the burial of Coloman in
Székesfehérvár Székesfehérvár (; ; ; ; Serbian language, Serbian: ''Стони Београд''; ), known colloquially as Fehérvár (), is a city in central Hungary, and the country's ninth-largest city. It is the Regions of Hungary, regional capital of C ...
and the coronation of Stephen II in 1116. He was the first known Archbishop of Esztergom, who was transferred from another diocese. In July 1124, he belonged to the companion of Stephen II, who visited Dalmatia to confirm his father's former grants and privileges to the coastal cities. It confirms that Marcellus had also participated in the royal campaign against the province, taking advantage of the temporary absence of the Venetian fleet from the
Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...
. In the same year, Marcellus was also mentioned by a non-authentic charter on the occasion of a lawsuit between Othmar, ''
ispán The ispánRady 2000, p. 19.''Stephen Werbőczy: The Customary Law of the Renowned Kingdom of Hungary in Three Parts (1517)'', p. 450. or countEngel 2001, p. 40.Curta 2006, p. 355. (, , and ),Kirschbaum 2007, p. 315. deriving from title of župan, ...
'' of Bars County and Henry, abbot of Garamszentbenedek (today Hronský Beňadik,
Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...
), when Marcellus and other bishops appeared as investigators and judges. Still in 1124, Marcellus met
papal legate 300px, A woodcut showing Henry II of England greeting the Pope's legate. A papal legate or apostolic legate (from the ancient Roman title '' legatus'') is a personal representative of the Pope to foreign nations, to some other part of the Catho ...
Giles, who travelled to
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
through Hungary. As his successor Felician was referred to as archbishop by a charter dated between around the years 1125 and 1128, Marcellus possibly died not long after his last appearance in contemporary documents.


References


Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Marcellus of Esztergom 1120s deaths Bishops of Vác Archbishops of Esztergom 12th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Hungary 11th-century Hungarian people 12th-century Hungarian people